BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Left-handed opening batsman Chesney Hughes and all-rounder Kadeem Phillip featured in a face saving fifth-wicket partnership to salvage a draw for Leeward Islands against Trinidad and Tobago in their TCL Group West Indies Under-19 match on Wednesday.

Umpires Patrick Grazette and Wilbert Jordan called off the match at 4.50 pm with the Leeward Islands – set a victory target of 270 -- struggling on 129 for six after Trinidad and Tobago had declared at their overnight position of 109 for seven.

Hughes was unbeaten on 65, and Jurnell Turner yet to score.

Fast bowler Sheldon Dogan was the pick of the Trinidad & Tobago bowlers with three for 19.

In the important third-round fixture at the Carlton Ground, Hughes and Phillip added 97 runs in 101 minutes and their bid to save the game was aided by no fewer than four interruptions for rain.

Trinidad & Tobago picked up six points from the encounter but slipped to the bottom of the six-team-standing with 12 points, while the Leeward Islands are in fourth place with 15.

In pursuit of their victory target, the Leeward Islands were jolted dramatically in the opening over of the innings when they saw the fall of three wickets with no runs on the board.

Promising opening batsman Kieran Powell (0) was trapped in front to Dogan with his first ball.

Dogan then rattled the stumps of Sherwin Peters (0) with his fifth delivery, and with the last ball , Kjel Tyson was run out without scoring.

Dogan returned in his third over, to claim the wicket of Jamal Hamilton (0) caught at the wicket by Aaron Alfred , as the Leeward Islands slipped to 10 runs for four wickets, and the chance of Trinidad & Tobago scoring an outright win looked bright despite the gloomy morning.

Rain forced the players off the field at 10.18 am, and an early lunch was taken with the Leeward Islands at a perilous at 18 for four.

Play re-started at 1:00 pm, and the pair of Hughes and Kadeem Phillip defied the Trinidad & Tobago bowling attack with stubborn resistance.

There was another break for rain at 2.16 pm, with the Leeward Islands battling on 71 for four, with Hughes on 34 and Phillip 33.

An early tea was taken and play resumed at 2.50 pm, with a minimum of 51 overs remaining in the day’s play.

There was another stoppage for rain at 3.45 pm, and play re-started shortly after.

Hughes brought up his half-century with a boundary through backward point off part-time bowler Akiel Cooper.

His milestone came in 119 minutes off 77 balls with five fours.

The fifth-wicket partnership was broken with the score on 105, when Phillip was snapped up at first slip by Adrian Barath from the bowling of Javed Boodram.

Phillip made 48 off 79 balls with seven fours.

With more rain threatening, the Leewards lost their sixth wicket, when Kenroy David (8) was caught at first slip by Barath from Kareem Jumadeen’s bowling.

In the fourth round matches starting on Friday, Trinidad & Tobago will face the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands tackle Barbados.